5 Things You Need to Know About Burning Calories

1. Do the Calorie Math

Calories combine with oxygen to equal the energy your body needs to do its daily activities. You get calories from the food you eat. You burn calories through the activities in which you take part (even sleeping). If you take in more calories than you expend, then you gain weight. If you expend more than you take in, then you'll lose weight. That's calorie math at its most basic, but other variables play a part as well. If you're male or young, you burn more calories than if you're female or older.

2. Exercise the Calories Away

The number one way to burn calories is through exercise. While you burn calories with everything you do, you burn more when working out, especially when you do it vigorously. Thirty minutes of bowling burns far fewer calories than running 3 1/2 miles. However, bowling beats sitting on the couch watching a sitcom. Another advantage to aerobic exercise is that it revs your metabolism so that you'll burn more calories for up to 24 hours.

3. Boost Your Metabolism

The reason men tend to burn more calories than women is that their bodies are made up of more muscle and less fat than the female body. Muscle burns fat. The best way to build muscle is through a strength-training program. Exercising just two or three times a week with weights can make a big difference in burning calories and raising your metabolism. This is very important as you get older and your body's metabolism slows with age.

4. Drink Away Calories

Something as natural as drinking can burn calories. Drink the right beverages, and you'll burn even more. A German study found that drinking 2 liters (8 cups) of water a day could burn 100 more calories. Stimulants such as caffeine burn more calories than decaffeinated drinks. If you drink caffeine in green or black tea, the calories burned are even greater. Researchers believe the polyphenol found in tea speeds up metabolism. If you have a medical condition that could worsen with drinking caffeine, then you should talk with your doctor first.

5. Move It To Lose It

People who seem to have a great deal of difficulty remaining still often irritate those of us who can sit without moving. But those on the move may know something that you don't. Fidgeting burns calories. If you don't naturally fidget, try to look for ways to add more movement to your day. Park your car far from the store for a longer walk. Wash your car by hand instead of coasting through a car wash. All these things add up and help you burn calories.